Two sides that have made similar starts to the La Liga season go head to head this weekend as 2013-14 champions Atletico Madrid travel to Eibar.
The home side remain unbeaten in the Spanish top flight this season, following up wins in their opening two matches with a draw last time out, while Atletico head into this match following their first defeat.
Eibar
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Eibar have made a bright start to the season, having been given a second chance in La Liga. The club should have been relegated at the end of the 2014-15 season, having finished in the bottom three, but financial problems for Elche saw this weekend's hosts given a reprieve.
Having won their first two matches of the season, a 0-0 draw with Malaga last time out has left them fifth in the table, a point better off than this weekend's opponents.
Eibar's performances have been boosted by some resilient defending in the opening weeks of the Spanish league season. They have conceded just one goal in their opening three fixtures. Eibar also have one of the best attacking records in the division, scoring five goals so far, which is more than defending champions Barcelona.
Summer signing Adrian Gonzalez has made a strong start to his career with Eibar, scoring twice in three appearances since his summer move. The midfielder is not the only new face at the club, with 15 members of the first team squad joining the club in 2015. Only goalkeeper Xabi Irureta and striker Mikel Arruabarrena joined the club prior to 2012.
Jose Luis Mendilibar knows that his side will need to be stronger at home this season if they are to avoid another relegation battle. Having spent last season managing Levante, the Eibar coach will have watched his new side secure just five wins and 18 points in total at Ipurua during the 2014-15 campaign.
This is the first of three fixtures in seven days for Eibar, as they travel to Mendilibar's old side in midweek before hosting Celta Vigo next weekend.
Recent form: LDWWWD
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Atletico Madrid
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After winning their opening couple of fixtures of the league season, Atletico suffered a blow last weekend when they let a lead slip against Barcelona, going down 2-1 to the current Spanish champions.
Diego Simeone's side quickly bounced back from that loss though, with two goals from Antoine Griezmann ensuring that they made a winning start to their Champions League campaign against Galatasaray in Istanbul earlier this week.
In their last match away from home in the league, summer signing Jackson Martinez opened his account for his new side by netting the final goal in a 3-0 win over Sevilla.
With five goals from their opening three fixtures, Atletico have one of the better attacking records in the division, with only three sides having found the back of the net more times. They kept clean sheets in their first two fixtures of the campaign, before letting in two goals against Barcelona last time out.
Like their opponents, Atletico also have a match in midweek following this fixture as they host Getafe. This will be the first of four matches in a busy 11-day stretch for the club, culminating in their second Champions League group tie against Benfica.
Recent form: DLDWWL
Recent form (all competitions): WWWWLW
Team News
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After missing Atletico's Champions League trip with a leg injury, defender Filipe Luis should be available again for the visitors, who should head into this match with no fresh injury concerns after tests on Diego Godin's knee came back clear following his early exit in Istanbul.
Simeone rotated his strikers for the trip to Istanbul, with Martinez returning in place of Fernando Torres against Galatasaray. With a busy fixture list ahead, the rested Spaniard could return to the starting lineup for this outing.
For the hosts, goalkeeper Xabi Irureta, who has not featured since the opening match of the season, is fit to return to the matchday squad after recovering from a dislocated finger.
Otherwise, Eibar have reported no new injury concerns ahead of this match. Striker Borja, who is on loan from Atletico, could face his parent club, having come off the bench during their previous outing.
Eibar possible starting lineup:
Irureta, Ramis, Capa, Alonso, Luna, Escalante, Garcia, Keko, Gonzalez, Junca, Enrich
Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak, Godin, Luis, Juanfran, Gimenez, Tiago, Koke, Gabi, Niguez, Griezmann, Torres
Head To Head
When Eibar hosted Atletico last season, it was a comfortable win for the away side, with Mario Mandzukic scoring twice in a 3-1 victory.
The two sides have met just six times before, with Atletico winning the last four times. Eibar have only beaten this weekend's opponents once, claiming a 2-1 victory when both sides were in the Segunda Division during the 2000-01 season.
Atletico have never failed to score against Eibar, while the home side have only netted more than once in their lone win.
We say: Eibar 1-2 Atletico Madrid
Atletico showed that they were capable of pushing Barcelona last week, so will be confident of securing the three points against an Eibar side that did not have a shot on target last time out. With a packed schedule over the next two weeks, Simeone may opt to make some changes, or take some of his regulars off early in the second half, which should allow Eibar to keep it close, but it is difficult to see past an away win.
Sian Cowper
